site.btaUPDATED European Commission Refrains from Comment on Bulgaria’s Election Results Pending Final Count

The European Commission did not comment Monday on the results of Bulgaria’s snap parliamentary elections. A Commission spokesperson declined to provide a substantive response to a related question during the institution’s regular daily news briefing.

Spokesperson Olof Gill said he contacted the European Commission Representation in Sofia ahead of the news conference. “My understanding is that the vote is still being counted, therefore it would not be appropriate for me to offer any comment at this point,” he added.

The spokesperson declined to explain why the Commission had commented immediately after the elections in Hungary a week earlier, even before the final results were announced, and what he believed the difference between the two cases was. He urged that the counting of the results in Bulgaria be allowed to continue and called for the democratic process, so highly valued in Europe, to be allowed to run its course. He added that the European Commission always works with all EU governments in the interest of European citizens.